Dream Catcher
by Sinematic
Summary: Scott has one mission- to get medicine to his dying love. Sadly, he's being followed by police and a bloodthirsty band of inbred scum, intent on ending his life. So when Scott meets sweet, innocent Dawn, he sees the perfect way to travel undetected. Little does Scott know, Dawn has her own interests waiting on the other side of the woods, and he's just the guy to help her.


**It's a Dott fic, y'all! I hope you like this first chapter, but this ain't no fluff. It's pretty rad that you're taking the time to read. Thank you dearly. Enjoy.**

...

_The sticky sound of bare feet padded down the darkened hallway. Old, ugly faces peered through picture frames with creepy trailing eyes, prompting the feet to go faster._

"_...Daddy?" a small voice mewed. _

_He looked up. "Yes, Princess?"_

_The little girl toddled into the room, rubbing her eyes groggily._

"_I couldn't sleep. I had a nightmare."_

_Her father set aside his glowing laptop and patted his lap invitingly. "Do you want Daddy to tell you the story of _The Legend of Zelda_ to help you fall back asleep?"_

"_I've heard that a thousand times!" she protested, happily climbing onto her dad's legs._

_He smoothed out her hair. _Such a beautiful girl; she has her mother's green eyes, _he thought offhandedly._

"_Well Princess, what would you like to hear?" he chuckled. He absently removed his glasses and rubbed them against his shirt to polish off a smudge._

"_Will you tell me the dream catcher one?" she asked hopefully. _

_He was about to respond, when a slim blonde figure appeared in the office door._

"_Sam? What's Dot doing out of bed?" his wife asked._

"_Hey, Sweetie," Sam grinned._

"_Daddy's telling me a story!" Dot chimed, swinging her legs._

"_Dream Catcher is apparently tonight's selection for our little nightmare generator," Sam said, giving his wife a weary look._

_Her pink lips frowned disappointedly. "Dot, more nightmares?"_

_Dot pouted and nodded simultaneously._

"_Well," her mother grinned, seating herself on her husband's arm rest, "I happen to love this story!"_

_Sam nodded, "So do I. Okay monster, you have to promise you'll go straight to bed after the story's over, okay?"_

_Dot bobbed her head happily. "Yes! Yes!"_

_Sam ruffled her hair and draped his other arm around his wife's waist, drawing her closer._

"_Dakota, would you like to start?" he offered._

_She shook her head. "No, you tell the beginning the best." Something about her statement filled him with a certain somberness, but Dot was obliviously excited._

"_You're right," Sam sighed. "Once upon a time..."_

...

Scott crunched through the forest with deliberation, intently focusing on the surrounding trees and the position of the sun, and only checking over his shoulder occasionally. He could still hear the faint echo of searching police sirens behind him, but he only smirked. _They'll never find me,_ he thought happily. He had been leisurely walking away from the town for about an hour, confident in his ability to stay hidden and avoid his pursuing enemies.

As he walked along the earthy pathway and stepped over miry mud puddles, he began to feel relaxed. Scott happily breathed in the cold air and reveled in the soft piney scent. He kept going over what he'd just done in his head, replaying the hilarious scene again and again. Not fully alert, he narrowly avoided stepping on a winding brown snake, coiled up on a rock slab. He almost cried out in surprise, but he remembered his situation and held his breath. He _was_ on the run, after. The creature picked up its small head and hissed.

"Dawn, I'm glad we're doing this," a nasal, disembodied voice floated through the air.

"It's not too late for you to turn back, Sam," returned another voice, this one silvery and light.

_What the-_ Scott quickly flung himself behind a fallen tree log and peered past a broken branch to see a tall, big-boned brunette whose eyes were glued to a portable game system, incongruously stumbling after a short, small girl with white blonde hair and shadowy eyes. The pair was unknowingly making their way towards him.

The guy, presumably Sam, huffed at her, "I can't. Dakota said she wanted a more 'photogenic' boyfriend! I'm photogenic!"

He jokingly struck a dramatic pose: nudging his jacket off his shoulder's edge and pouting seductively. The petite girl just giggled into her hand.

He shrugged his coat back on. Sam looked at Dawn with his brows knit in a concerned line, "Plus, I don't want you running away all by yourself."

She smiled, "I thank you, Sam, but you know the animals wouldn't have harmed me!"

Sam looked around squeamishly, "It's not the animals I'm worried about. A lot of really scary people live in these woods!"

Scott observed them closer. They were bundled up in coats and mittens, which was no doubt a preparation for the cold November nights, because it was a calm fifty degrees that day. Scott cringed at his own thin and patched leather coat. Both travelers had bulging backpacks, and the girl had a tiny beaded dream catcher hanging off the zipper of hers that caught his eye. Scott licked his lips at the prospect of what snacks the big fellow had brought; in the past few days he'd only had a few sticks of beef jerky to satisfy his three day journey to town, and a donut he'd taken off the top of a squad car on his way back to the woods.

_No wonder they were still looking for me_, he thought devilishly, imagining the police force in chaos over a missing donut. He let a small chuckle escape from his lips, until he realized that this Sam was right; there actually _were_ several 'scary' people in the woods he'd had to outrun to even make it to town, and there was no doubt in his mind they'd be waiting for him to return.

A very close, husky scream interrupted his thoughts. "Snake! Whoa, it's huge! Good thing I've played through Snakeatopia like four times." Apparently the two newcomers were standing right on the other side of the log, still unaware of Scott's proximity to them.

Grinning, he remembered exactly where the sleeping reptile was and a plan formed in Scott's head. Not waiting to think of a downside, he sprung from his hiding place and hopped over the tree with incredible quickness; Sam let out a startled yelp and Dawn gasped in shock. With a heroic cry, Scott grabbed the unsuspecting but sibilant snake and tossed it into a pile of brush several yards away. He dusted off his hands and turned to face the alarmed teens he'd just 'saved'.

"No need to thank me," Scott flashed them a brash grin, smoothing down his fiery red hair. He had the temerarious confidence of a small child who had caught a bug for his mother and expected a reward.

But Dawn, instead of being thankful or grateful, had a look of horror plastered on her wind-bitten face, "Th-thank you? Why would we thank you? You probably hurt that poor, defenseless creature!"

"Defenseless? That thing could've torn my arm off!"

Sam stepped in, "Um, where did you come from?"

A few seconds of silence rolled by. Scott scratched his rough chin, trying to think up a decent lie. "I was... um... just taking a peaceful nap when I heard you dunderheads shouting, and I had the kind nature to save you."

Dawn glowered, her wispy white bangs shrouding her eyes into deeps pits of shadow. "We didn't need saving."

"Whatever, cupcake," Scott dismissed the dour girl and addressed Sam, "So what're you guys doing out here?"

"We're going to-OOF!" Dawn silenced Sam with a sharp elbow to the ribs.

Her tone was icy as she continued her friend's statement, "We were just venturing a walk."

Scott played along, "Oh yeah? Where to?"

Sam interjected through his groaning pain, "The other side of Wawanakwa Lake." Dawn pursued her lips in annoyance with her friend's trusting nature.

_Perfect,_ Scott thought happily, _they can take me right across the forest._

Scott feigned amazement, "Wow, you guys sure are brave. That's a three day walk, even if you pass through the Settlements!"

'The Settlements' was the resident's preferred name compared to the official title of the land: SLAD. It actually stood for South Land Acer Diabolicum, which is Latin for 'Devil Maple', a famous tree that once flourished in the rotting woods.

A long time ago, when the city was still trees, an overwhelmingly large number of poverty-stricken, uncouth, uneducated, moonshine-making, banjo-strumming, shotgun-wielding, rat-trapping, inbred, feuding hillbilly farmers set up crude taverns, sheds, and barns throughout the remote forest. The inhabitants still hadn't migrated to town due to their stubborn ways, rooted by generations of inherited property and general dislike for the city. Over the years, these individuals developed grudges against many elitist city folk, and more curiously against other families with similar viewpoints, making them not the friendliest bunch. The herds of relatives generally massed around the lake, for obvious water needs, but one never knew if they'd come across a smaller settlement while traversing through the forest.

Looking unnerved, Sam complained, "Three days? I only have enough battery for two! ...Well, in this system anyway."

Scott's face scrunched up into a bogus smile, "Say...I'm heading that way myself! Maybe I could join you!"

"Okay!" Sam smiled, but Dawn stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"Actually, we prefer to travel alone, to, um, not disturb the wildlife as much. We didn't mean to disturb your nap. I wish you farewell!" Dawn tugged at her friend's sleeve and the two began to walk away.

Scott called out after them, "I hope you don't meet up with any more snakes!"

No response.

Scott tried again, "Or... The Saw Blade Gang!"

Sam spun around, more curiosity than fear was displayed on his face, "What is that?"

Scott pretended to look shocked, "You haven't heard of The Saw Blade Gang?! They're only the most infamous settlement in these woods! If a member catches you, they take you back to their woodshed and use old, rusty saw blades to slowly slice open your-"

Dawn interrupted him, "You're lying!"

"I wish I was! They took my Uncle Sammy right in front of me and mah Papi. Uncle Sammy was a... um... Champion heavy weight wrestler! And he was in the Navy. But all it took was one member of the gang to drag him off..."

"Whoa," Sam's eyes grew big, "They sound dangerous. I've done a lot of first person fighter games though. I think I could fend them off! A-B-A-B-up-down-up-down-left-right-left-right-star t! Hoo-hah!" He threw a few clumsy punches in the air.

"Though I thank you for the probably false admonition, you... you see that we are adequately protected," Dawn said to Scott. She was suddenly looking unsure of what she was saying, but she crossed her arms firmly still the same.

Flexing his muscles a little, Scott gave her a hard look. "Take another look at your boyfriend over there."

Seeing the way he treated animals, Dawn didn't want to associate herself with this random stranger and his weirdly insistent entreaties. But she looked back at Sam, who had become tangled in a thorn bush and was struggling to free himself, and she sighed unhappily, "If you must, you may join us. And... Sam is not my boyfriend!"

Scott raised an eyebrow with curiosity at her sudden, embarrassed tone, but said nothing.

"So, ah, before we go, what's your name, stranger?" Sam chuckled as he pulled at the constricting plant around him; Dawn quickly studied Scott's freckled face.

Grinning a mirror image of what Dawn conjured to be the devil himself, he replied with simple, boyish innocence, "The name's Scott."

...

"Everything is here otherwise, son. The little dirtbag just took some of this here prescription medicine," the dusky, leathery old man told the looming officer, tapping the empty metal shelf behind them. The hollow metallic sound echoed through the store.

The officer's stomach growled and he muttered, "...and my donut."

"What was that, son?"

"Never mind. Can this medicine be used recreationally?"

"It was just a few jugs of these antibiotics, but I suppose kids can get their kicks off of anything these days."

The officer's rich, chocolate colored fingers twitched anxiously. He flipped his notebook closed and rested his heavy hand on the man's shoulder, "Okay, thanks Dad. And you said he ran off SLAD direction?"

The old man nodded.

"Figures," the cop muttered under his breath, "God, that girl's poor parents must be worried sick. I know I would be if anything ever happened to my boy."

A chime sounded as the shop's door opened; the two men turned to see a muscular teenage boy walk through the door. He dropped his cleats on the counter, then stared around the shop quizzically, not quite able to piece the situation together. Finally his brown, confused eyes settled on the two older men, "Granpop? Pop? Why are your police cars parked out front?"

"Lightning!" the officer, his father, greeted warmly, "Some punk stole from your Grandfather's store, and I might be home late trying to find him. He fits the profile of that young girl's kidnapper, so I'm heading to the station right now to round up some men to take with me into SLAD."

Lightning let this information sink in. He ran his hand over his coarse black hair and said impassively, "Well, Lightning's got practice. See yah!"

As Lightning began to leave, his dad anxiously called after him, readjusting his cop belt in an obvious way. "You know son, cutbacks are getting bad. The forest is pretty big... And well, we sure could use some extra man power..."

Lightning stared blankly at his father. Groaning, the officer got to the point, "Will you join the search party, son?"

"Sorry Pop, Lightning already drank his pre-workout protein shake!"

His father quickly blocked the door and his voice got low, "Think of it as a game. Do you want to win the game, son?"

Lightning immediately warmed up to the idea. Narrowing his eyes and cracking his knuckles, he declared, "Lightning always wins! Let's go catch a bad guy! Sha-BAM!"

...

As they trudged along through the woods, Dawn noticed Scott becoming more and more alert.

"What are you observing?" she asked casually.

"Oh! I... Um... I thought I saw a bear!"

"Are you going to 'defend' us from a bear, too?"

Scott grunted and walked a little faster. It was past mid-day, and the small group had been swiftly traveling together through the woods, without rest, for hours and their shared tense mood had soured.

Sam took a break from his game and took Dawn aside, "I don't know if I trust Scott anymore."

"Then why in the name of Mother Earth did you let him to join us?"

"...I'd just beaten level six! I was in a good headspace, Dawn!"

"Well I don't possess much reliance with him either. His aura is cloudy."

Sam nodded knowingly; he had seen Dawn's distant expression many times and knew it meant she was busy reading an aura. He had grown accustomed to her unusual talent and it no longer seemed odd that she would just 'read' the people they met. She had even tried to teach him once, but he wasn't nearly as invested in the art as she was. Sam fiddled with the strings of his hoodie. "Should we _tell _him we don't trust him?"

"If I learned anything from our previous, savage school, it's keep your enemies close, Sam. And although I normally disapprove of having enemies..."

"He's our enemy?!"

"He's not our friend!"

"He did save us from that snake..."

Dawn was about to object, but Scott interrupted the pair with a commanding shout, "Let's go, you two! It'll be dark soon, and the... um... 'Saw Blade Pack' will find us without a shelter! We need to find a clearing."

"More walking. Awesome," Sam enthused sarcastically as he resumed typing on his game.

"I thought it was Saw Blade Gang?" Dawn asked suspiciously. She held the small dream catcher in her hand.

"Gang, Pack, what's the difference?" Scott shot back.

Truthfully, Scott had an unsettling feeling in his gut. The wailing sirens had cut off only an hour ago, and yet he felt like he could still hear the shouts and horns from the town.

_Would they actually try to follow me?_ He thought, perturbed, _It's bad enough there actually _IS_ a gang here in the woods, and although they're not known for it, they certainly wouldn't hesitate to use one of them saw blades on me. And now I gotta worry about the cops too! Good thing I found animal girl and marshmallow when I did. I can blend right in with them, and sneak past all of these jerks trying to catch me._

Scott returned to his group with a newfound affection for his new breed of camouflage. He was in a visibly better mood until he saw Dawn cooing and awing over a ladybug and Sam so mindlessly absorbed in his beeping game system that he walked headlong into a thin entanglement of sharp branches.

Scott rubbed his face, kneading the tissue with his thumb and index finger, trying to calm the headache he felt budding between his eyes.

_How is someone supposed to blend in with them?!_

...

"Sorry, Brickhouse, treadmills don't have a 'little girl pace'," Jo snickered, casually lifting a large barbell in her left hand. Both on breaks from college, she and Brick had returned to their hometown, spending the bulk of their vacation challenging each other to various nonsensical activities. They'd been at the gym all afternoon, and they would have stayed there all night if Lightning hadn't come in.

"Sup sha-losers?" Lighting greeted the pair as he hopped onto a stability bike and started pedaling furiously.

"Greetings, comrade!" Brick smiled, turning the speed up a few notches on his machine. His dog tags jingled with each step. Lightning jumped off the bike and dove onto a bench press, quickly bringing the bar to his chest and launching into speedy reps.

"Hey meathead, what's the rush?" Jo asked the new arrival, switching the barbell between her hands.

"Lightning's gotta get a quick workout in before he catches a bad guy," he announced excitedly.

"Bad guy?" Brick inquired.

"Some reject kidnapper stole something from Lightning's grandpa, and Lightning's dad is organizing a search team!" Lightning dropped the bar back into its slot and picked up a jump rope.

"Search team, eh?" Jo repeated, thoughtfully pushing her sweaty, honey colored hair from her eyes.

"Kidnapper, as in the Sailer girl's kidnapper?" Brick asked, suddenly interested. He didn't know the Sailers personally, but a sixteen-year-old girl had gone missing and Brick couldn't help thinking about how horrible it was.

"You dudes can come if ya want!" Lightning offered, moving to a pull-up bar.

"I'm not a dude," Jo muttered unhappily.

Brick looked at her, "Well, it'd be a small way of helping our country, and the Sailers!"

She rolled her eyes. "Please. I have better things to do, and that girl probably just ran away."

"You just know I would catch him before you!" Brick countered, wiping sweat off his forehead.

Jo dropped her barbell with a thud. "That a challenge, Sergeant Brick-for-Brains?"

Brick smiled. "No, it's a fact. I could bring the tango to justice twice before you could even get your shoes tied!"

"Oh, it's on. Lightning!" Jo called to the jock on the leg-press, "We're in!"

"Alright! Bro time!" Lightning cheered, letting his weights fall to the ground in a clatter. He then did a few short sit-ups before sprinting out the door.

"Wager?" Brick asked, his treadmill slowing to a halt.

Jo scoffed. "The satisfaction of beating you is all the prize I want!" She thought it over and added, "And fifty bucks. First person to find the thief wins."

"You got a deal, soldier," Brick shook her hand, but they held the grasp too long. A blush flamed to her cheeks, and Jo nervously pulled her arm back from equally uncomfortable Brick, whose hair was suddenly standing up at the nape of his neck and an electric tingle roamed down his spine. Wordlessly muttering, the two jogged out the door after Lightning to join in the search.

...

A while later when the sun had dropped down and the winter chill had set in, the trio came across a small treeless area.

"Finally!" Scott gestured widely, his teeth chattering slightly. "We'll set up here to sleep." He forced the cuffs of his jacket over his fingers and blew a short breath into them. Dawn was busy laying out her sleeping bag when Scott strolled over to her.

"Hey ... Dawn!" he greeted, momentarily forgetting her name.

"What is it?" she asked, annoyance clear in her ringing soprano voice.

Scott had figured he might as well use his beguiling nature to make Dawn and Sam trust him, seeing as he could use them to take him across the forest. He knew it'd be a hell of a lot easier for all of them if he could just manipulate those two into liking him.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm really sorry for chucking that snake earlier. If I'd known you weren't in danger, I wouldn't have done it."

Dawn raised her eyebrow skeptically, but she nodded like she believed him.

He swallowed, trying to seem as apologetic as possible, "Do you trust me?"

"I trust ya, Scott!" Sam called, obviously celebrating a victory in his game.

Dawn stared off behind Scott, musing over her thoughts. Finally she looked back up at him, locking with his eyes.

_Whoa._ Scott blinked quickly as he felt her cloudy, cornflower blue eyes sinking into his own.

"I... appreciate the apology. I suppose you haven't given me a reason not to... except for your dismal aura of course."

"My what?"

"Your aura is difficult to read which usually indicates that you are hiding something. Do you perhaps have mother issues?"

Scott considered this, ignoring his initial confusion at her mention of 'auras'. He decided to play along. Voice dripping with fake emotion, Scott's lower lip quivered, "How-how did you know?"

Dawn's smile faded, like if she knew he was lying to her. She opened her mouth to say something.

"Shush!" Scott clamped his hand over her mouth, much to her displeasure. A humming noise had begun to resound over the trees. Hummingbird? No, too small. This was more like an engine.

Shit.

"Quick! Get down! Hurry!" Scott shouted, and the two quickly obliged. Scott started to run away, but Sam popped up and Scott pretended to be looking for the source of the noise so it didn't look like he was ditching them, which is exactly what he was planning on doing.

"What is it?" Sam cried, the buzzing getting louder and louder with each passing second. Scott looked around furiously, but Dawn stared at him worriedly with her large, clear eyes, sinking a guilt bomb into him that dragged him to the hard, grassy floor. He covered his head. _I can't believe that dinky, little, sorry excuse for a town has a helicopter! All this over a few stupid bottles of medicine? _

The volume had become unbearable. Sam was rolling around holding his ears, but his terrified cries were unheard by the beating pulse of the helicopter blades. Closer to the ground than Scott had anticipated, the helicopter charged over the tree line like a giant, shiny black beetle.

Scott again contemplated running away, but the aircraft pivoted in the air in a way that suggested it definitely knew where they were and running was out of the question. The wind picked up significantly as it landed, blowing loose leaves and grass around them like swarming bugs.

As the dust settled down, Scott prepared to put up a fight. However, nothing could've prepared him for what happened next.

"Sam?"

Sam's head snapped up, "Dakota?"

A tall, thin, blonde girl in a pink flight suit hopped out of the helicopter. She pulled off her sunglasses, searching around the clearing, "Sam?! Is that you?"

Sam struggled under the weight of his backpack and his own shaky limbs but he managed to stand up, gaining Dakota's attention. "DAKOTA!" he yelled happily. She ran into his arms. He tried to pick her up like in the movies, but after a few failed attempts he settled for a hug.

"Sam, I'm so sorry I said what I did," Dakota said, pouting, "My manager was getting in my head, and you know how my ego gets when the paparazzi is around!"

Sam held her closer, "I know. That's like how I am when I beat original Contra without the extra lives, I get so full of myself! But I can't believe you came looking for me in a helicopter!"

"I'd do anything for you, Sammy!"

Scott and Dawn had seen the whole thing from their spot in the grass, and Scott was the first to speak up. "What the _hell _is going on?"

Sam turned to his companions, stuffing his free hand into his coat pocket and blushing slightly, "Oh! Scott, this is my girlfriend, Dakota. Dakota, you know Dawn."

"Hi guys!" Dakota chirped.

Scott stomped over to the happy pair, "Look lipgloss, I need you to tell me the truth. Are the cops following you?"

Dakota looked confused, "Um, no? I don't know?"

"Then whose chopper is this?" Scott cried.

"My daddy's. His pilot is in there too, FYI."

"Oh Jesus." Scott moaned, turning away and mashing the heels of his hands into his eyes.

Dakota picked up her boyfriend's hand, "Can we go now, Sam?"

"Of course!"

"I wanna make up properly," she purred.

Sam eagerly towed behind Dakota to the helicopter, stepping on her heels a few times. After he got in, Sam finally remembered why he was outside in the first place. "Dawn!" he called out, and she was right there. He started to unbuckle himself from his seat, making room for her, "You're coming, right?"

Dawn shook her head, "No, Sam. I need to keep going on my journey."

"But, Dawn," Sam eyed Scott, who was taking out his frustration by throwing rocks at a small oak tree. His voice dropped to a whisper, "We don't trust him!"

Dawn patted his cold hand reassuringly. "I'll be fine, Sam. You know I can't go back now!"

He couldn't be dissuaded easily. Deciding to lay on the guilt, Sam said with conviction, "Dawn, what would my Mario do without your Luigi?"

Dawn seemed to consider this for a moment, not necessarily his words but how he presented them. She let her hand drop. "He'd go off with Princess Peach," she said evenly, her haunted blue eyes boring into his own, and a heart-broken stare immediately welled up behind Sam's glasses.

"Well... He wouldn't leave Luigi with Bowzer, I can tell you that!"

Dawn shook her head, exasperated, "Your references are getting lost on me. Now, please go!"

"Yeah, can we hurry this up Sammy?" Dakota whined from inside the cab, stretched out on the seat like a spoiled, languid poodle.

Sam looked unsure, "Well, do you have a phone at least?"

"I didn't think I'd need one," Dawn admitted sheepishly.

"Here!" Dakota interrupted, leaning over her boyfriend, "Take my back-up!"

Dawn used both hands to accept the hunk of pink plastic, "I appreciate this, Dakota!"

Dakota waved her hand, "Yeah, yeah, no biggie!"

"Be careful, Dawn," Sam sniffed, not wanting to leave her.

Dawn waved goodbye to her frowning friend and the helicopter slowly lifted off the ground. Dawn's hair whipped at her face, but she didn't notice. She was entranced at the sight of her only friend being taken away; the dark bottom of the helicopter hovered above her. Memories of her and Sam flickered through her normally calm head, and a shocking wall of emotion crashed over Dawn like a freezing wave.

A rough hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. "Where's Marshmallow going?!" Scott yelled over the powerful motor. His voice registered hollow, and his angry, confused expression couldn't penetrate the deep, lonely haze she felt settling around her as she realized it was just her and this stranger in the woods from that point on. He continued to stare at her expectantly with his icy blue eyes, but she couldn't bring herself to appreciate the calming beauty of them, nonetheless speak to the owner.

Dawn simply pointed up.

...

"_And then, Dawn and Scott used the dream catcher to point their way across the woods and went off on magical adventures," Sam concluded, smiling down at his sleepy daughter._

_She yawned. "Did they ever see a unicorn?"_

_Sam kissed her head. "Of course, pumpkin. They saw thousands of unicorns."_

"_Time for bed, sweetie," Dakota smiled. Dot crawled into her mother's arms and Dakota carried her to bed, leaving Sam with his stirring thoughts._

_A few minutes later, Dakota returned to her husband's office and sat down next to him with a sigh._

"_That's not the real ending," she said._

_Sam looked away, "The real ending had no business being in a little girl's head."_

_Dakota squinted her eyes. "What exactly IS the real ending, Sam?"_

_Sam stretched back in his chair and closed his eyes. "It's a very long story."_

_..._


End file.
